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This Week's Walks - Archive

Please see the Saturday Walker's Club This Week's Walks page.

This is an archive of walks done by the Saturday Walker's Club. You should only need to use this page if the SWC website is down.

Wednesday 14 March 2018

Wednesday walk Berwick to Seaford - via Alciston, Berwick Church, Alfriston, High-and-Over and Seaford Head

SWC 90 - Berwick to Seaford

Length: 18.4 km (11.4 miles)
Toughness: 7 out of 10

London Victoria: 09-47 hrs  Littlehampton and Ore service. CJ  09-53 hrs; EC 10-03 hrs
Arrive Lewes: 10-47 hrs  Change trains
Leave Lewes: 11-09 hrs   Ore service from Brighton
Arrive Berwick: 11-20 hrs

Return: Seaford to London Victoria via Lewes  [or via Brighton (B) where noted]: 16-25, 16-54, 17-20, 17-57, 18-24, 18-41(B), 18-59, 19-17, 19-37(B)

Rail ticket: buy a day return to Seaford.

Younger walkers without Senior railcards: Suggest you travel to East Croydon and use your railcards there which come into play after 10 am.

Walker has kindly given his approval to my posting this lovely walk of his within three weeks of his giving it a Saturday outing. Wednesday walkers will be taking a different route to Saturday walkers, and we will divert from the Vanguard Way before Cuckmere Haven to walk through farmland which - hopefully - will be full of newborn lambs - a lovely sign that Spring is on its way.  Just don't mention mint sauce........

Leaving Berwick we will take the Alternative Start in the Walk Directions to Alciston, with its interesting church, then on over fields to Berwick Church, to view the murals and artwork of the Bloomsbury Group's luvvies. Onwards then down and up vast fields to Alfriston, where we will stop for luncheon at one of its three pubs. I will probably make a booking for us at the comfortable  George Inn.

After lunch I suggest we follow the Book One route (Glynde to Seaford) beside the Cuckmere river to the outskirts of the village of Littlington, then cross the footbridge to continue beside the river (on its 'tother side) until we reach the base of High and Over Hill - which we duly climb, high and over, then zig zag down to the river and follow it to Exceat Bridge.  Here you can cut the walk short by taking a bus to Seaford, or in the other direction to Eastbourne.

From Exceat Bridge we walk along the Vanguard Way for a few hundred metres before turning right (westwards) gently uphill through farmland where  - hopefully - we will see this year's new born lambs out in the fields with their mothers. Onwards then and uphill to Seaford Head car park, across another large field (more lambs) to the cliff edge where we turn right (again westwards) for a lovely clifftop walk to Seaford. Along the way don't forget to look back behind you for a fabulous view of the Seven Sisters. On arriving in Seaford those peckish can indulge in fish and chips at Trawlers - a favourite with SWC walkers. Otherwise, there are several wine bars and pubs close to the railway station for refreshments before you take the train home.

This is one of my favourite SWC walks which I find particularly enjoyable in lambing season.
So recommended !
T=swc.90
Walk Directions here: L=swc.90




3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hello Marcus I hope to attend this walk but will probably have to exit early in order to go dancing.
best,

Jane

Marcus said...

n=15 of us assembled at Lewes railway station for the short journey to Berwick, where we started today's walk in w=lovely-Spring-sunshine, which stayed with us all day. The Spring-like temperature was tempered by a southerly wind in our face, which meant clothing layers were kept on, but no matter. Mud levels were mostly manageable all day, and to be expected on a mid-March walk.
Some of us stopped to look inside Alciston church - plain but nice. Most of us stopped shortly afterwards to view the art and murals in Berwick Church. Its churchyard was awash with daffodils and some snowdrops to add to the enjoyment of our morning.
Onwards then to Alfriston, where seven of us dined at the George Inn. All were happy with their meals, although our table was too close to the open hearth fire for comfort (a fire was not needed for the mild Spring weather) - but I'm being picky. Now usually our sandwichers join us for a drink in the designated lunch pub, but not today. Or rather, only two did. Two sandwichers headed off to practise their map reading skills, but I'm not sure what happened to the remaining six. Hopefully they - and the map readers ? - did not become lost in the wilds of the South Downs: but if someone out there does find them lost, bedraggled and disheveled, please point them in the correct direction for Seaford. Bless.....
Our dancer left us at Alfriston for an early journey back to London, as planned, leaving eight of us to tackle the afternoon leg of the walk. We enjoyed the lovely views from the windy top of High and Over Hill, before descending to Exceat Bridge, where one took the bus to Seaford. Subject to my dodgy maths, that left seven of us to enjoy the lambs in the fields below Seaford Head: they put on a great display for us - a delightful Spring sight. On then into Seaford, where I believe all bar me took the 17-20 hrs train home. I stopped for a drink and tidy up before catching the 17-57 hrs train. Good journeys, outward and inward, today, and I was home in time to watch the Barcelona-v-Chelsea match on TV.
I thoroughly enjoyed my day in good SWC company, and I hope my walking companions, including the sandwichers, did likewise.

Brian said...

A splendid walk, as Marcus says, and in excellent company. Four of us sandwichers, having dined by St Andrew's church in Alfriston, made our way, guided by Robin, along the Cuckmere river and up High and Over (where we were rewarded by wonderful, far-reaching views.) A stiff breeze checked our descent to Exceat but then blew behind us all away along the clifftop path to Seaford, where we were reunited with our dancer and caught a train to Lewes.